Abel Album DiscographyAfter Dion left the Laurie label in late 1962, he had a number of huge hits for his new label, Columbia. These included "Ruby Baby" (1/63, #2), "This Little Girl" (4/63, #21), "Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw" (7/63, #31), "Donna The Prima Donna" (9/63, #6), and "Drip Drop" (11/63, #6). Although Laurie didn't own the masters to the Columbia singles, Abel Records (whoever they really were) designed a way to benefit from a "Greatest Hits" album anyway, by having "The Glen Stuart Chorus" do the Columbia singles and packaging them along with the Laurie-owned older hits in a budget-priced compilation.
Who were the Glen Stuart Chorus, you ask? Apparently, they were studio singers and musicians hired
specifically for the job of imitating Dion's Columbia hits. How good were their knock-offs? About as
good as the usual knock-off versions heard on budget labels, that is, not very good unless you aren't
listening too closely, in which case they might be considered "passable." Although the musicians sound
competent, the singers are straining and the recordings aren't mixed well. Were they a known backup
group like the Del Satins or the Belmonts? Almost certainly not. Unless the Del Satins were being
tortured in the studio at the time, the Del Satins were much too smooth for these renditions. Abel even
released "Ruby Baby"/"Drip Drop" by the Glen Stuart Chorus on a single as Abel 235, probably going
immediately to the 39-cent bin in the local grocery stores.
The Abel label was gold with black print, with just printing and no graphics. The label name, printed in block letters at the top of the label, was the only identifying information on the label other than the matrix number. There is no indication of ownership on the label, or on the jacket for that matter. Why do we think it was associated with Laurie, then? Because of the Laurie masters contained on the album, and the professional pressing done at the same place Laurie got their albums pressed. (And just to be facetious, the gold label blanks could have been some left over label blanks from the old gold Laurie label.) But mainly, the Laurie masters.
We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Abel or Laurie Records, which is currently owned by EMI-Capitol Special Markets. Should you want to contact EMI-Capitol Special markets, or should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and Follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 1997, 2009 by Mike Callahan.
